Re: IGG Alert! (was Re: KATE Alert!/TORI Alert!)

[chrisw@fciad2.bsd.uchicago.edu (chris williams)]

Chris here,

In article <NESSUS.93Dec7122757@twitch.mit.edu> |>oug writes:
>In article <m0p6u0L-000il6C@fciad2.bsd.uchicago.edu> chrisw@fciad2.bsd.uchicago.edu (chris williams) writes:
>
>>       Allan B. and Intergalactic Garage's interest in Kate Bush and her
>>   fans starts at your wallet and ends at their cash register.
>
>Chris, you don't know Allen, and this kind of thing is borders on
>libel.  I know Allen and he is a very friendly guy.  He likes fans
>that he thinks are likable has been very helpful to me and other fans.

   Every contact that *I've* had, and several contacts that friends have
had, have been uniformly negative. He put enormous pressure on Dale
Sommerville to give him a copy of the Breakthrough mailing list, he
pressured John Reimers to give him a copy of the unedited "Night Flight"
interview, calling him names on the front page of his mailing list.
He told another close friend, who called about another artist and
started chatting, that Kate Bush fans were suckers who would pay
practically any price for stuff. I have never had a single positive
contact with him.

>He clearly likes Kate Bush's music, but you are too prejudiced to see
>this.  When I went to England in December of 1985, he was also
>visiting England and was kind enough to give me advice on where to
>stay.  He also showed me how to scower the London record stores for
>Kate Bush collectibles and showed me which stores to go to.  He did
>this at his loss because with me nabbing many of the Kate Bush
>collectibles there were fewer for him.

   Your positive impression of him is due to your experience with him,
colored by the slack that one is likely to give someone that you have
met in person. I have never met AB or spoken to him on the phone.
I base my impression of him on his actions. If he is the Kate fan
you make him out to be, why has he never posted a single non-commercial
word to gaffa (other than one response to a flame)? Why hasn't he shared
this amazing storehouse of knowledge that you insist he has, rather
than simply using love-hounds and rec.music.gaffa as a postage-free
mailing list in obnoxious violation of nettiqite?

>>       This long-time fan has never seen any proof that this is not so.
>
>You have now seen it.

   I have not. He gave some help to a person who's help may be of value
to him. It has obviously paid off.

>>   Larry, be assured that many people find this crap quite annoying,
>>   and I have stated many other reasons to wish AB and IGG out of the
>>   Katemarket. I'm quite sure that AB will be in that line at Tower
>>   trying to get a whole bunch of things signed to sell at grossly
>>   inflated prices. *Please* don't patronize this leach.
>
>The idea that someone would travel from DC to NYC and wait all day in
>line in the cold to get an autograph or two that he could then sell
>for a total of maybe $100 for "financial gain" is ludicrous, and you
>know it.

   I'm sure that he travels to NYC on a regular basis, and I have no
doubt that he will get more than one or two things signed. It's also
probable that the things he gets signed will be some of his highest
markup items. I can just see his next newsletter: "British TWW Box
Set - *Signed* by Kate!!! - $750.00 (3 only)." 

>-- The angriest |>oug in the world
>   <nessus@mit.edu>


                          Chris Williams of
                             Chris'n'Vickie of Chicago
                               chrisw@fciad2.bsd.uchicago.edu (his)
                                 vickie@njin.rutgers.edu      (hers)
                                   katefans@chinet.chinet.com (ours)